The Effects of Formal Mentoring on the Retention Rates for First-Year, Low Achieving Students

Q: What does the study examine about the mentoring program?

It examines retention rates and students’ satisfaction with the formal mentoring program among first-year university students who volunteered to participate.

Q: How did the experimental group perform compared with the control group?

The experimental group showed higher retention rates and higher grade point averages (GPA) than the control group, and students’ written comments suggested they were satisfied with the program’s effectiveness.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Blue Pony

A two-year study evaluates a formal mentoring program by comparing first-year university students who volunteered for mentoring with a matched control group. Mentors were Intermediate/Senior preservice teacher candidates trained through a credit course tied to Teacher Advisor Programs in Ontario Secondary Schools. Retention rates and GPA for the experimental group were higher than those of the control group, and written comments indicated strong satisfaction and perceived effectiveness. The study situates mentoring as a response to transition challenges for low-achieving entrants.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Research rationale and retention measurement

Student transition challenges

Study Design and Program Description

Mentoring program at the University of Windsor

T.I.M.E. pilot and mentor preparation

Outcomes and Student Feedback

Retention rates and GPA comparison

Written comments on satisfaction and effectiveness

The Effects of Formal Mentoring on the Retention Rates for FirstȬYear, Low Achieving Students Geri Salinitri In this twoȬyear study, we evaluated a formal mentoring program by examining the retention rate and program satisfaction of firstȬyear university students who volunteered to participate. Mentors were Intermediate/Senior preservice teacher candidates, invited to take an additional credit class relating to Teacher Advisor Programs in Ontario Secondary Schools. The retention rates and grade point averages (GPA) of participating students (experimental group) were higher than those for the control group, consisting of firstȬtime students with similar programs of study and exiting secondary school averages (i.e., < 75%) . In written comments, students suggested program satisfaction and noted its effectiveness. Key words: social learning theory, theory of involvement, social capital theory Dans cette étude d’une durée de deux ans, l’auteure a évalué un programme dementorat en examinant les taux de rétention et le degré de satisfaction des étudiants de 1er cycle qui ont accepté d’y participer. Les mentors étaient des stagiaires en enseignement de niveau intermédiaire ou supérieur invités à prendre un cours à option associé au programme d’enseignantsȬguides (maîtres associés) dans les écoles secondaires ontariennes. Les taux de rétention et la moyenne cumulative des étudiants (groupe expérimental) étaient supérieurs à ceux du groupeȬtémoin, composé d’étudiants de 1er cycle inscrits dans des programmes d’études semblables et ayant eu des moyennes comparables à la fin de leurs études secondaires (c.ȬàȬd. < 75 %) . Dans leurs commentaires écrits, les étudiants semblaient satisfaits et soulignaientl’efficacité du programme. Mots clés : théorie de l’apprentissage social, théorie de l’implication, théorie du capital social. Over the last decade, there has been a surge of formal mentoring programs among universities to consider student retention. Many such studies (Astin, 1993; Bean & Eaton, 2002; Carter, 2000) have used graduation as an indicator for retention. Others (Berger, 2002; Fleck, CANADIAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION 28, 4 (2005): 853Ȭ873 2000; Tinto, 1987; Wild & Ebbers, 2002) have identified student completion rates as a fundamental measurement of an institutionȇs success in meeting student needs. Research into the factors that impact persistence (program completion) is crucial for institutions to develop appropriate policies and practices to enhance retention. To add to the research on program completion, I have focused this study on the impact of mentoring on the retention of firstȬyear students. As students enter university, they find factors that adversely affect their transition from high school to university, for example, new found independence, homesickness, time management, finances, or different teaching styles. Further, because of the demands of a knowledgeȬbased society, students from various cultures, socioeconomic backgrounds, different learning styles, or with low entrance grades are entering university. As a result, several factors affect student success: inability to meet university academic standards, inability to adapt to a new social and academic environment, changes in personal goals and aspirations, lack of motivation and clearly defined goals, priority of other commitments such as work or family, financial difficulty, orincongruence between an institution’s orientation and approach and that desired by an individual (Lang & Ford, 1992) . These factors translate into a need for increased academic and personal counseling programs to improve student retention, particularly for lowȬachieving students, defined, for the purpose of this study, as students with secondary school exiting averages of 70 per cent or less. Because compensatory universities accept these lower achieving students to give them opportunity, and to increase their own government funding, they need to make students’ transition

FAQs

What does the study examine about the mentoring program?

It examines retention rates and students’ satisfaction with the formal mentoring program among first-year university students who volunteered to participate.

Who served as mentors in the program?

Mentors were Intermediate/Senior preservice teacher candidates invited to take an additional credit course related to Teacher Advisor Programs in Ontario Secondary Schools.

How did the experimental group perform compared with the control group?

The experimental group showed higher retention rates and higher grade point averages (GPA) than the control group, and students’ written comments suggested they were satisfied with the program’s effectiveness.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Blue Pony